Nanoparticles that can stop bleeding quickly developed

Tokyo: Japanese researchers claim to have developed nanoparticles that can stop bleeding more quickly, which could help people with serious traumatic bleeding in emergency situations.

Researchers from Japan`s National Defense Medical College said they have succeeded in stopping bleeding more quickly on laboratory animals using nanoparticles they have developed, Kyodo news agency reported.

Manabu Kinoshita, an associate professor at the college, said he expects the new treatment to be useful in helping people with serious traumatic bleeding in major disasters and other emergencies.

When blood vessels are damaged, platelets combine to form clots and stop the bleeding. The team injected platelet-activating substances into a particle called liposome, made from phospholipids.

The team also attached different substances to the surface of the particles, 200 nanometres in diameter, to make them stick to the platelets.

A nanometre is one-billionth of a metre.

In the animal tests, rabbits were given traumatic injuries to their livers. All but the 10 rabbits injected with 20 mg of the nanoparticles per kilogramme of their body weight died from loss of blood.

Platelets used in transfusion can only be preserved for about a week, but the nanoparticles can be preserved for six months and can be mass-produced, the researchers said.
However, the technique is years away from practical use, as clinical tests are still needed, the report said.